Partial Highlights

Partial highlights concentrate the foils where the light actually hits your hair and where you see it most — the top section, around your parting and framing your face. The back and interior are left as they are.

It's a smaller, quicker and less expensive appointment than a full head, and for many people it's all that's needed: the visible brightness is there without the cost and upkeep of colouring hair that mostly sits underneath.

• Consultation about placement, brightness and your parting
• Foils woven through the top, sides and face-framing sections
• Development monitored for even lift
• Toner or gloss to set the tone
• Shampoo, conditioning treatment and blow-dry finish
• Home care advice

Allow about two hours. Your stylist will check how you part and wear your hair — that determines where the foils go — then weave and foil the top, sides and hairline sections.

After development the foils are rinsed, a toner is applied, and your hair is treated and blow-dried.

Anyone wanting brightness around the face and through the parting without a full-head commitment, and anyone maintaining existing highlights between full appointments. It's also a sensible first step if you've never had highlights and want to see how you feel about them.

Use colour-safe, sulphate-free shampoo and conditioner, add a weekly mask for the lightened sections, and use heat protectant before styling. A toning shampoo used occasionally keeps the tone from going brassy.

Most people return every eight to ten weeks.

• Wear your hair parted as you normally do so the placement suits you
• Partial highlights work well alternated with full highlights to spread out the cost
• Ask for extra brightness around the face if that's the effect you're after
• Book a toner between appointments to refresh the tone cheaply